POLARÍMETRO DE BAIXO CUSTO: UMA PROPOSTA PARA O ENSINO SIGNIFICATIVO DE ATIVIDADE ÓPTICA E ISOMERIA ÓPTICA NO ENSINO MÉDIO

Abstract

The contextualization of chemistry knowledge articulated with the students' daily life in an experimental approach is a pedagogical practice that has been widely discussed. Researchers have defended their contributions as facilitating strategies for learning in Chemistry teaching research. Considering experimentation as a cognitive resource capable of approaching the learning of stereochemistry to a level of greater understanding for the student, this work aimed to develop a meaningful learning technique with the development of teaching material suitable for an experimental activity using a low polarimeter cost developed for the studies of optical activity and optical isomerism in the classroom. The research was carried out with high school students from different public and private schools. The theoretical assumptions that guide the elaboration of the proposal consider David Ausubel's perspectives of meaningful learning, the principles of scientific research as a teaching methodology guiding the development of experimental activities. For the analysis of the data obtained during the research, the content analysis of the logbook and the statistical approach of the structured questionnaires used in the investigation of the conceptual evolution were used. The results showed the relevance of experimenting with the developed teaching material and the importance of using the polarimeter in the learning of stereochemistry as a facilitating tool in the construction and promotion of meaningful learning.